Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (February 2, 1754 - May 17, 1838) was a French diplomat. He worked successfully from the regime of Louis XVI, through the revolution and then under Napoleon I, Louis XVIII and Louis-Philippe. Known since the turn of the 19th century simply by the name Talleyrand, he is widely regarded as one of the most versatile and influential diplomats in European history. From [1] The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... Louis XVI (August 23, 1754 – January 21, 1793), was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French in 1791-1792. ... The period of the French Revolution is very important in the history of France and the world. ... Bonaparte as general, by Antoine-Jean Gros. ... Louis XVIII (November 17, 1755 - September 16, 1824) was King of France from 1814 (although he declared that he considered his reign to have begun in 1795) until his death in 1824. ... Louis-Philippe of France (October 6, 1773–August 26, 1850), served as the Orleanist king of the French from 1830 to 1848. ...

Talleyrand was born into an aristocratic family in Paris but a foot injury in childhood or the Marfan syndrome left him unable to enter the anticipated military career. He was instead entered into a career within the Church, attending the Collège d'Harcourt and Saint-Sulpice College until the age of 21. He was ordained in 1779. In 1780 he became a Church representative to the Crown, an Agent-General. In 1789, due to the influence of his father, the already notably unbelieving Talleyrand was appointed the Bishop of Autun. The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Marfan syndrome is a connective tissue disorder, affecting many structures, including the skeleton, lungs, eyes, heart and blood vessels. ... A church building is a building used in Christian worship. ... 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Crown is a term which is used to separate the government authority and property of the state in a kingdom from any personal influence and private assets held by the current Monarch. ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Autun is a town in the Saône-et-Loire département in Burgundy, France. ...

In the Estates-General of 1789, he represented the clergy, the First Estate. During the French Revolution he supported the revolutionary cause. He assisted in the writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and proposed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy that nationalized the Church, leading to his excommunication by Pope Pius VI and his resignation as Bishop. In 1792 he was sent to Britain to avert war, an effort that ultimately failed. Because of his aristocratic background, a warrant was issued for his arrest during The Terror; he left for the United States in 1794 and did not return until 1796. In 1797 he became Foreign Minister. He aided the coup d'etat of 18 Brumaire, 1799 and soon after he was made Foreign Minister by Napoleon, although he rarely agreed with Napoleon's foreign policy. The Pope also released him from the ban of excommunication. The Estates-General of 1789 was the first meeting of the French Estates-General, a general assembly consisting of representatives from all but the poorest segment of the French citizenry, since 1614. ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... In France of the ancien régime and the age of the French Revolution, the term First Estate (Fr. ... The period of the French Revolution is very important in the history of France and the world. ... The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, (French: La Déclaration des Droits de lHomme et du citoyen), was one of the fundamental documents of the French Revolution, defining a set of individual rights (and collective rights of the people vis a vis the state). ... The law of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (Fr. ... Excommunication is a religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... Pius VI, né Giovanni Angelo Braschi (December 27, 1717 – August 29, 1799), pope from 1775 to 1799, was born at Cesena. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Reign of Terror (June 1793 - July 1794) was a period in the French Revolution characterized by brutal repression. ... 1797 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In 1589, the four French Secretaries of State became specialized, with one of the secretaries responsible for foreign affairs. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... 18 Brumaire, the coup of 18 Brumaire or sometimes simply Brumaire refers to the coup détat by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the government of the Directory to replace it by the Consulate. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Bonaparte as general, by Antoine-Jean Gros. ...

In March 1804 he was involved in the kidnapping and execution of the Duke of Enghien; in response to those events he made what was perhaps his most famous quip: "That was worse than a crime; it was a mistake". In May 1804 Napoleon made him Grand Chamberlain and Vice-elector of the Empire; during this year, Talleyrand also bought the Chateau Valençay. In 1806 he was made Sovereign Prince of Benevento (or Bénévent). However he resigned in 1807 over his opposition to the Franco-Russian Alliance and by 1809 he was even further from the Emperor, a break completed in 1812 with the attack on Russia. 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc dEnghien (August 22, 1772 – March 21, 1804) was a relative of the Bourbon monarchs of France, and is more famous for his death than his life. ... The First French Empire, commonly known as the French Empire, the Napoleonic Empire or simply as The Empire, covers the period of the domination of France and much of continental Europe by Napoleon I of France. ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Benevento is a town and archiepiscopal see of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 32 miles northeast of Naples. ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

It is said that Talleyrand's continuous intriguing and plotting caused Napoleon to once denounce him to his face as "a silk stocking stuffed with shit," [1] to which the minister coldly retorted, "Pity that so great a man should be so ill brought up!"

When Napoleon was succeeded by Louis XVIII in April 1814, Talleyrand was one of the key creators of the restoration of the Bourbons while opposing the new legislation of Louis's rule. Talleyrand was the main French negotiator at the Congress of Vienna and in that same year he signed the Treaty of Paris. It was due, in part, to his skills that the terms of the treaty were remarkably lenient towards France: the country returned to its 1792 boundaries with no reparations. (Some historians, who are critical of Talleyrand, blame his diplomacy for establishing the faultlines of World War I.) 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Following the ousting of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, the Allies restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the French throne. ... The House of Bourbon dates from at least the beginning of the 13th century, when the estate of Bourbon was ruled by a Lord, vassal of France. ... The Congress of Vienna was a conference between ambassadors from the major powers in Europe that was chaired by the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich and held in Vienna, Austria, from October 1, 1814, to June 9, 1815. ... The 1814 Treaty of Paris, signed on May 30, 1814, ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition of the United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, Sweden and Prussia. ...

Napoleon's return to France in 1815 and his subsequent defeat, the Hundred Days, was a reverse for the diplomatic victories of Talleyrand; the second peace settlement was markedly less lenient and it was fortunate that the business of the Congress had been concluded. Talleyrand resigned in September of that year, either over the second treaty or under pressure from opponents in France. He thereafter restricted himself to the role of 'elder statesman', criticising from the sidelines. Under King Louis-Philippe he was ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1830-34. 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Hundred Days (French Cent-Jours) or the Waterloo Campaign commonly names the period between 20 March 1815, the date on which Napoleon Bonaparte arrived in Paris after his return from Elba, and 28 June 1815, the date of the restoration of King Louis XVIII. The phrase Cent jours was... Louis-Philippe of France (October 6, 1773–August 26, 1850), served as the Orleanist king of the French from 1830 to 1848. ...

Talleyrand was a great conversationalist, gourmand, and wine connoisseur. From 1801 to 1804 he owned Château Haut-Brion in Bordeaux. He employed the renowned French chef Antoine_Car�me, one of the first celebrity chef known as "chef of kings and king of chefs." Conversation can be confused with conservation and vice versa. ... A gourmand is a person given to excess in the consumption of food and drink: ones who lives for the hedonistic pleasure of dining. ... A glass of red wine Wine display at the Mt Markey Winery This article is about the beverage. ... This article should be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... 1801 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Château Haut-Brion is located in Pessac, Graves just one mile (2 km) from the city of Bordeaux in France (Appellation Graves Controlée). ... City motto: Lilia sola regunt lunam undas castra leonem. ...

Talleyrand died on May 17, 1838 and was buried at his Château of Valençay. May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Today, when speaking of the art of diplomacy, the phrase "he is a Talleyrand" denotes a statesman of great resource and skill.

The Prime Minister of France (Premier ministre de la France) is the functional head of the Cabinet of France. ... Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, French statesman Armand Emmanuel Sophie Septemanie du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (September 25, 1766 - May 17, 1822) was a French statesman. ...

External link

• Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Perigord 1754-1838
• Society of friends of Talleyrand